


Independence Monday

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [242]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-07
Updated: 2016-07-07
Packaged: 2018-07-22 02:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7415113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fourth of July block party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Independence Monday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fey_Child137](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fey_Child137/gifts).



> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Emila-Wan and Carol  
> Mali Wane for posting to the Master Apprentice ML  
> Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3   
> Alex for inspiring Arcadia 
> 
> References:  
> [Hammock Burn](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397075)  
> [Car-washing for Two ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7256659)  
> [A Historic Fourth of July](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4259967)   
> [Kristian Ipsen - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristian_Ipsen)  
> [The Power Of Love Lyrics - Air Supply](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/air+supply/the+power+of+love_20300207.html)
> 
>  
> 
> The Fourth of July in Arcadia:  
> 2004 -- [Independence Day: Let Freedom Ring](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1798048)  
> 2005 -- [Declaration of Independence](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1819468)  
> 2006 -- [Meditations on Freedom](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1907862)  
> 2007 -- [An Arcadian Picnic](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1953027)  
> 2008 -- [A Dazzling Display](http://www.masterapprentice.org/archive/1/127dazzlingdisplay.html)  
> 2009 -- [Fourth and Maine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4260111)  
> 2010 -- [Two Hundred and Counting](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312143)  
> 2011 -- [Independence Day at Lake Saasta](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4366031)  
> 2012 -- [Wool-gathering in Stratford](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388408)  
> 2013 -- [Independence Day in June](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397081)  
> 2014 -- [The Porch of July](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1952985)  
> 2015 -- [A Historic Fourth of July](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4259967)

*Splish*

"10.0!" Quinn called out, as Ian disappeared into the water. He cheered and made a ten with his fingers, to imitate the individual scorecards the judges held up after each dive in a meet. Their Fourth of July was going swimmingly. He had just seen Ian do a somersaulting dive with a twist into the deep end of the neighbors' pool with sleek grace. And Ian had done it with a splish but hardly a splash. Even a Gungan would have agreed with Quinn and given the dive a perfect 10.

Mr. Jefferson, along with Han and his grandfather, took up the shout and the three of them added a thumbs-up. They all could tell that Ian had done something special. You could see the gymnastic training shining through in every clean line of his body.

Ian chuckled when he surfaced and heard his perfect ten from Quinn, echoed by the others. He realized that they might have been binging on diving a bit too much on TV lately. They had religiously watched all of the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis in platform and springboard, as well as the synchronized pairs. It was even better than the coverage of the Olympics themselves would be, because the programs were completely devoted to diving. On a typical evening, once the Games started, you'd usually have at least four or five events broadcast in little chunks throughout primetime.

When he saw the towel wrapped around Quinn's shoulders, Ian's grin grew wider. It brought back memories of the divers' towels at the Trials. They called them chamois, which reminded Ian of their recent car-washing at his parents' home in Padua. His and Quinn's t-shirts and shorts had looked more like chamois than clothes by the time they'd finished washing the Audi Gallia. Ah, the Trials of car-washing for two. At least Ian had passed his Trials handily, after being a Prentice for more than thirty years.

The lovemaking that followed washing the Audi had gotten the two of them even wetter. He tried, regardless of Master Yoda's admonition, to quash thoughts like these, since he had to leave the pool and its concealing blue wavelets eventually. Fortunately, he was wearing swim trunks which were baggy enough to hide a bratwurst, like the grilled one he'd eaten before his swim, that had practically been bursting from its casing.

These musings weren't helping Ian's state much, but last July 4th had been even worse. He and Quinn had almost made love in their bedroom, even though their family was waiting to watch the fireworks outside in the back yard. Fireworks, indeed!

Prudence finally brought Ian back to his senses; when she smiled at him, resplendent in her high-collared peach dress, formal even on the Fourth of July, he felt himself subsiding. Grateful, he smiled back at her, then grinned over at Quinn, able to look at him again without such an overreaction in public.

Since it was Independence Day Monday, there was still a little over a month to go until the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro started, so their neighborhood was celebrating their own Games, with a block party at the Changs before the start of the Alder Run fireworks. It had become a cock-block party, though, Ian thought with rueful humor, but perhaps that was inevitable, now that there was a swimming pool to tempt Quinn and him to get wet and wild. He looked at his herven, this time with a barely repressed chuckle; he'd have to share his quip with Quinn after they got home. Already anticipating Quinn's groan, his face was lit by a secret smile as he swam in the aquamarine water, the night lights making it shimmer and glow.

The Changs had installed the in-ground pool in June, now that the children were old enough to swim responsibly. Lelia had turned 12 in May, with Han barely a year older, and both were veterans of swim class at sleepaway camp. They were a prime age to be Padawans, and of course, they'd been lucky enough to have the professors as their de facto Masters for years now.

Quinn and Ian loved the new fence around the Changs' back yard, which was a safety measure to protect children from wandering into the yard and possibly falling into the pool. The cedar fence gave them even more privacy in their little bit o' heaven than the fence they had around their own property, so Artoo and Sandy could have the run of the lawn. The men had already taken advantage of it with a couple of steamy romps on the hammock, their love life in full swing. Quinn looked over at their yard, and sure enough, nothing could be seen, thanks to the combination of trees, bushes, and the fence. He breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief, now that he had checked visibility on both sides of the fence.

Ian swam over to join Quinn in the shallow section, who gave him an enthusiastic high-five. Quinn was sitting on the steps, enjoying the gentle tickle of the water, which came up to his knees. Ian sat on a step higher than Quinn's, in order to equalize their height, a pleasant change from usually looking up at him.

Quinn found the change delightful, as well. He savored gazing straight into blue-green eyes, which were more beautiful than the water surrounding them. "That was grand, laddie mine." He swept a strand of wet hair off of Ian's forehead, his fingertips lingering there to savor the cool skin. "When are you going to try out for the Olympic team?" he teased.

"Guess I'll have to wait until Kristian Ipsen retires," Ian teased back, referring to the best springboard diver who qualified for the Olympics from the United States. Since Ipsen was only 23, Ian would have quite a while to wait until his retirement, at least theoretically. Just like in men's gymnastics, divers usually competed through their early and mid 20s, then retired by the time they neared 30, since it became harder and harder to win against the younger athletes.

Ian heard the click of a camera from across the lawn, thanks to his all-but-Jedi hearing. He saw Mrs. Chang winking at them, as she patted her cell phone, and grinned back. She liked getting candid shots of her friends and family, since they were more natural than posed photos. Ian knew that his husband would enjoy the picture; Quinn loved it when Ian's coppery spikes of wet hair sprang out like a baby porcupine's quills, and there was nothing better than swimming to make that happen.

"I'm gonna head next door and put some dry clothes on," Ian said. "Don't want to miss the fireworks." He looked up at the sky, where the sun had already started to set in its coral and burnt-orange majesty.

Quinn glanced at his watch. "You've still got plenty of time. It's only 8:38, so the fireworks won't begin for at least half an hour."

Quinn handed him a towel warm from sitting on the bricks edging the pool, then slid into the water, after throwing his own towel on one of the pavers surrounding the water. "A few more laps will do it for me, too."

Ian climbed out of the pool, waving to their neighbors, then opened the gate and headed straight to their back door. Sandy and Artoo were asleep in their baskets, so he was glad he had bare feet, not wanting to wake them up. He padded through the kitchen almost soundlessly and walked across the hall to the master bedroom, where he used the facilities before ducking under the shower for a couple of minutes to get rid of the chlorine on his skin and hair. He dried with his own sky-blue towel this time and dressed in his summer uniform of a t-shirt and shorts, Skyhawks gear, as usual. Trying to get back as soon as possible, since the picnic wasn't over yet, he nonetheless stopped to refill Artoo and Sandy's bowls of food and water, still as noiseless as possible. He was rewarded by puppy snores and soft whoofing.

Swimming had made him and Quinn ravenous, despite both of them having already eaten a couple of Mr. Chang's signature burgers, made with minced onions and garlic, and topped with chipolte mayonnaise. Not to mention generous helpings of Prudence's macaroni and cheese, and Mrs. Chang's potato salad. Now they were looking forward to pieces of Violet's dark-chocolate cake with raspberry frosting for dessert.

With thoughts of that very cake in his head, Ian sprinted next door. Quinn was already out of the pool and had just finished drying himself. Ian tried to hide his wistful look when his herven turned to leave.

"Save some cake for me, lad," Quinn called out as he opened the gate.

"Ha! Ha! Very funny," Ian said with a lopsided grin, and the neighbors seemed to agree with him, laughing at their banter.

Ian did indeed get a head start on dessert, while he was waiting for his husband to return. Violet cut the cake, then Ian brought slices to each of their neighbors. Finally, he sat down at the picnic table to eat his own piece and saw Quinn slide onto the bench across from him.

"Your timing is impeccable, as always, especially when it comes to meals, Sir hobbit," Ian said with a chuckle.

Quinn gave Ian his best half-bow and said, "Thank you, my good fellow."

Mr. Jefferson passed Quinn a slice of cake with a wink, earning another 'thank you' from Quinn. Then silence reigned, as they all ate their dessert. As ever, a cake made by Violet was "an engrossing entertainment," as Tolkien would put it. After they finished eating, Quinn turned to give the same diplomatic half-bow and thanks to Violet, whose blush was more of a rose color than her namesake.

Han helped the professors clean up, since the three of them were the youngest folks there. They cleared the picnic table and put food back in the refrigerator. Then they tied up trash and brought it to the curb. By the time they were done, the kitchen was as sparkling as the light show yet to come.

With only a few minutes left until the start of the fireworks, Ian, Quinn, and Han fluttered down blankets on the grass for their neighbors to relax on. True to form, Prudence, Violet, and the Changs stayed at the picnic table to watch the light show, while the others used the blankets. Ian and Quinn lay down on their backs side by side, heads pillowed on their arms, and Mr. Jefferson and Han sat cross-legged.

A natural hush fell just as the fireworks started, so all you could hear was the hiss of their release, along with a sonata of crickets in the background. Red, white, and blue sparklers came first, then the professors' favorites: green and blue Roman candles. The candles sent a chill down their spines every time Quinn and Ian saw them ignite. Chrysanthemums ended the show on a graceful note and left after-images of beautiful colors burned into their retinas.

No one spoke for a good five minutes afterwards; they all simply savored what they had just seen, as much as the meal before it. Finally, after saying quiet 'goodnights', they drifted home for the night.

The men were not ready for bed yet, so they headed over to the porch swing, after a break to use the facilities. Ian curled under Quinn's arm with a happy sigh, and they swung slow and easy in the nighttime breeze.

"Independence Day was really a little more than a week ago," said Quinn drowsily.

Ian instantly knew what he meant. June 26th had been the first anniversary of the Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court, legalizing gay marriage nationwide in the United States. "Amazing the difference it's made. More than a million people have already gotten married because of it, after only one year," he marveled, "and untold millions of folks will marry in the future." He snuggled closer into Quinn's side.

"What a feeling!" Quinn said simply, in complete exhilaration. He hugged Ian to him, their joy as incendiary as the fireworks had been in the night sky.

"I know," Ian answered. "To feel free and carefree on the Fourth of July -- it's quite a gift." He gazed up at Quinn, eyes gleaming in the low light of the porch bulb. As soft as the breeze, Ian started to sing the refrain from "The Power of Love," complete with his own special adaptation to the lyrics:

"Cause I am your 'laddie'  
And you are my man  
Whenever you reach for me  
I'll do all that I can"

Quinn's eyes crinkled in delight when Ian sang the word 'laddie', and he nuzzled his husband's forehead. Then both of them leaned in for a kiss at the same time, unable to be apart for even a moment longer. Their kiss was sweeter than the cake they had shared, combining its taste with the indispensable ingredient of all good kisses -- lasting love.

Their 14th Independence Day together was the happiest so far. But just wait until next year!


End file.
